Unexpectedly Married To You

twenty-nine

Edlyn tightened her grip around her bag as she stepped into the hospital lobby. She looked around and smiled at the nurses there before heading to her father's office. On her way there, she saw Jake and Sorin walk together, hand in hand. Edlyn wanted to run away and quickly turned around but stopped when Sorin called for her, "Edlyn-ah!"

She exhaled in defeat and forced herself to smile. Jake looked away awkwardly, his hand was still linked together with Sorin's. She eyed his hand before grabbing his wrist, pulling him to his office. She closed the door and sighed, "You can't just walk around holding hands with another girl! What will people say about our marriage?"

"Who cares?" He shrugged. She scoffed in disbelief, "I care! My reputation will be ruined! What will people say about my dad?!"

"But you said I can date whoever I want."

She glared at him for arguing with her. "Not in public!" She whisper-yelled. He smirked and chuckled out of amusement, "I see where you're going. You want me to treat you like how I treat Sorin? You want us to be sweet?"

She widened her eyes and looked away tiredly, "That was not what I was saying. You're really bad at understanding my point."

She was about to walk away from the office but her foot accidentally kicked the small coffee table. She fell onto the floor and grabbed Jake by his tie. He fell on top of her and instantly put a hand to support his body from slamming onto her.

They both looked at each other with startled eyes, too speechless to even make a move. The door opened, revealing Sunghoon with a few files. He looked at them with a fed-up expression, "Seriously guys? Can't you do it at home? At work? Seriously? At least do it on the couch."

"No no no!" The married couple tried to get up to clear the misunderstandings but Sunghoon instantly closed the door.

"Oh no. He's going to tell my brother, isn't he?" Edlyn stared at the wall, worried about Jay's reaction when he found out. Jake looked around and his eyes fell to her hand which was wrapped with a bandage. He held it, "What happened to your hand?"

"This? I accidentally cut my hand during the surgery test. Don't worry. Heeseung treated the wound for me."

He watched her as she left the room, "Heeseung?..."

•

Being too ashamed to face her father or bump into Sunghoon and Jay, Edlyn decided to just go home. She opened the door and turned on the lights. The house felt empty yet welcoming. She went straight to her bedroom and decided to sleep for a few hours while waiting for Jake to come home.

She laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Some part of her didn't want to fall asleep. She slowly closed her eyes as her eyelids became heavier to be opened. She gave in and fell into a deep slumber.

"Doctor Park, we need to hurry! She's losing a lot of blood!" One of the assistants said. Edlyn gulped nervously and slowly held the surgery tools. Blood splashed around, staining her surgical scrubs. She was about to wipe it off until a hand grabbed her wrist, "You will never be a good surgeon! You are useless!"

Her eyes widened when she saw the patient was her mother. "Mom," she called in fear. Her mother grabbed a small knife and pulled her by the collar before pointing the knife at her. She tried to push her away but failed as the knife stabbed into her eye.

Edlyn gasped and immediately opened her eyes. She couldn't move and tried to call for help. Her body was paralysed and her eyes kept forming tears. She sobbed quietly and tried to mutter any words that she could think of.

"Help..." She sobbed, "Please."

She gathered her strength and managed to scream.

Jake opened the entrance door and walked straight to the kitchen to pour himself some water. He quietly drank until he heard a scream coming from his wife's room. He dropped his suitcase and put the glass down before rushing towards her room.

He opened the door and saw Edlyn hug her knees as she sat at the corner of the room. He scurried towards her and squatted, moving the strands of hair from her face. "She's coming to get me," she mumbled continuously. "You are safe. Your mother is not going to get you. I'm here," he assured her as he hugged her to calm her down. She tried to push him away but eventually gave in, pulling him closer.

After a while calming her down, she fell asleep in his arms. He patted her back and glanced down to look at her. He slowly carried her to the bed and tucked her in. He admired her face and brushed her hair with his fingers. Some parts of him wanted to stay next to her but he knew it wouldn't be comfortable for her.

"Jake," she called him out of the blue. His eyes widened and he hummed in response. "Stay," she held his hand. Her eyes were still closed so he didn't know if she was aware she said that to him. He slowly tucked himself under the blanket and faced her as he let her hold his hand.

He closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.